Removable and disposable wash basin liner

ABSTRACT

A one-time use disposable liner for hospital wash basins to decrease the cross-contamination that currently exists. The liner has a plastic portion and an elastic portion to elastically secure to the sidewalls of a basin.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application claims priority from provisional patent application number 61289416 filed on 23 Dec. 2010.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a protective liner for bedside washbasins, which are generally used for giving bed baths to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities. The plastic liner is disposable and is designed to prevent the transmission of harmful bacteria, which often grows inside the washbasins. This product protects the receptacles from contamination, thereby reducing the risk of hospital acquired infections. It has been estimated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that about 200,000 people die annually due to hospital borne illnesses.

Many hospitals and care facilities employ the use of washbasins to assist in bathing patients. These basins are continuously reused and serve as a breeding ground for infections and bacteria. Bed basins are one of the main causes of nosocomial infections, or infections that are acquired during a hospital stay.

Some hospitals have eliminated bed basins for this reason; however other bathing methods are not capable of properly cleaning a patient.

This present invention is designed to be used in hospitals and nursing homes, and even assisted living facilities if so needed, it may be a disposable plastic covering, held in place by a nonwoven elasticized fabric, the plastic fits the entire inside of the patient's bedside wash basins, and also emesis basins, the plastic laps over the rim of the receptacles, and may be held firmly against the circumference of the receptacles by the non woven elasticized fabric, the plastic must be able to hold water up to about 106 degrees Fahrenheit, water warm enough for bathing patients. This item would be a onetime use each time used; it would protect the receptacles from contamination.

Recent research indicates that at three acute care hospitals, 92 basins including basins from 3 intensive care units were evaluated results showed that these receptacles had positive growths of bacterial contamination e.g. 54%; enterococci 32%; gram negative organism 23%; staphylococcus aureus 23%; vancomycin resistant enterococci 13%; methicillin resistant aureus 8%; pseudomonas aeruginos 5%; candida albicans 3%; and escherichia coli 2%. This data confirms the fact that one way hospital acquired infection can also be brought about through the reusing of contaminated receptacles like the patient's bath basins.

Currently the state of the art is for hospital personnel to simply use wipes, or disinfectant wipes, which are not effective in removing contamination of the wash basins.

Therefore the need of the present invention exists.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention is a basin (50) liner (10), comprising: a waterproof surface (20) terminating in a stretchable band (30); said stretchable band (40) having a width; whereas said stretchable band (30) is capable of being stretched over the basin (50) top edge (60) and said stretchable band (30) can secure to the basin side wall (70) due to the compressive forces inherent in elastic material.

Another aspect of the present invention is a basin (50) liner (10), comprising: a stretchable band (30) surrounding a waterproof surface (10); said stretchable band (40) having a width; whereas said stretchable band (30) is capable of being stretched over the basin (50) top edge (60) and said stretchable band (30) can secure to the basin side wall (70) due to the compressive forces inherent in elastic material.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates another view of an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

10 removable and disposable wash basin liner

20 waterproof surface

30 stretchable band

40 width of stretchable band

50 wash basin

60 basin top edge

70 basin sidewall

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Generally, there may be different types of bath basins used in hospitals. Round ones, and oblong or oval shaped ones, and rectangular ones. There is also a bean shaped emesis basin. The present invention may be a combination of plastic which fits into any of these receptacles.

In one embodiment, the present invention be, overlapping about one and a half inch (1½″) on the outside, held in place firmly against the receptacle 50, by a non woven elasticized fabric 30 that is attached to the plastic 20. The plastic 20 covers the entire inside and rims of these receptacles 50, so as to not allow contamination, since these are reusable receptacles 50. This liner 20 would be of a one-time use, so there would be no chance of the retransmitting of bacteria or other cross-contamination to the patient, at the same time keeping the receptacle 50 germ free. Without use of the present invention, the re-use of basins 50 may have been identified as a source of cross-contamination.

The present invention 10 has been tested and can withstand and hold water up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit. However in most cases, the water just has to be warm enough to bathe the patients.

In one embodiment, the present invention 10 may be able to fit onto a rectangular basin 50 having a length of twenty seven and one quarter inches (27¼″) by twenty one and one half inches (21½″). The stretchable band 30 may be made of a non woven stretch material band three inches (3″) wide by thirty two (32″) inches in length or diameter. Therefore the band 30 may be stretched while sewn on to fabric in order to hold liner 20 snugly against the receptacle 50 or basin 50.

Basins 50 may also be round. In one embodiment, the present invention 10 may be able to securely fit a round basin 50 that may be thirty seven and one half (37½″) in circumference on the upper end, and it may be thirty two (32″) inches in circumference at the base. The base is the portion that contacts a table or floor if the basin 50 is resting on the table or floor respectively. The depth of the basin 50 may be four (4″) inches.

In one embodiment the waterproof surface 20 or plastic 20 may terminate in a woven stretch material 30, that may have a length or circumference of about thirty two (32″) and a width 40 of about two and one half inches (2½″) wide. The stretchable material 30 may be stretched while sewn on to plastic 20, in order to hold plastic 20 snugly against the circumference of the receptacle 50. When the present invention 10 is disposed on the basin 50 in this manner, the present invention protects the receptacle 50 from cross contamination, because the present invention 10 is a onetime use apparatus.

Broadly, the present invention 10 may be used for applying on wash basins 50, the kind typically used in hospitals.

The present invention 10 offers a safe and effective method of preventing the spread of germs and bacteria while using hospital washbasins 50. This product 10 consists of a disposable plastic liner 10 that is used to protect the inside of the basin from bacteria. The plastic portion 20, also referred to the waterproof surface 20, covers the entire inner basin and overlaps the rim of the basin. It is secured to the rim by an elasticized, nonporous, biodegradable material 30, also referred to herein as a stretchable band 30 that may be sewn around, or otherwise attach to the circumference of the plastic portion 20, or waterproof surface 20. The elastic band 30 or stretchable band 30 may have a width 40, and the width 40 may be approximately 2½″ wide. The present invention liner 10 is designed to accommodate basins of various sizes, including round, oval, oblong, and the like. The liner may be disposed of after each use. The exact specifications may vary.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the invention has a waterproof surface 20. In one embodiment, the waterproof surface is not stretchable, which allows it to accommodate the shape of the wash basin 50, so that the waterproof surface may be disposed adjacent the wash basin 50. The perimeter of the waterproof surface 20 may terminate in a stretchable band 30. The stretchable band 30 may be stretched over the top of the wash basin 50, and the stretchable band 30 may then be secured to the outside upstanding wall of the wash basin 50 by its compression forces created by the stretched stretchable band 40.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the present invention 10, showing the waterproof surface 20 that conforms to the shape of the wash basin 50.

FIG. 3 illustrates the present invention 10 applied to a rectangular shaped wash basin 50. The stretchable band 30 can stretch over the top of the rectangular shaped wash basin 50 and secured to the sides of the wash basin 50. FIG. 3 also illustrates how the waterproof surface 20 can conform to the shape of a rectangular shaped wash basin 50.

The present invention 10 may be made from a variety of materials, including but not limited to any one or more of the following materials; latex, polyisoprene, and neoprene.

These materials may allow the stretchable band 30 to be elastic. 

1. A basin (50) liner (10), comprising: a waterproof surface (20) terminating in a stretchable band (30); said stretchable band (40) having a width; whereas said stretchable band (30) is capable of being stretched over the basin (50) top edge (60) and said stretchable band (30) can secure to the basin side wall (70) due to the compressive forces inherent in elastic material.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said width (40) is between about two inches (2″) to about three inches (3″).
 3. A basin (50) liner (10), comprising: a stretchable band (30) surrounding a waterproof surface (10); said stretchable band (40) having a width; whereas said stretchable band (30) is capable of being stretched over the basin (50) top edge (60) and said stretchable band (30) can secure to the basin side wall (70) due to the compressive forces inherent in elastic material.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a rectangular basin (50) having a length of twenty seven and one quarter inches (27¼″) by twenty one and one half inches (21½″). 